Cheap Eurostar tickets: look out for sales and deals
If you fancy travelling on the Eurostar, look out for special sales and deals on the website. These come and go and rapidly sell out, so you should sign up for Eurostar's newsletter to stay updated.
If you've missed out on the sales, there are plenty of other options for saving money on your Eurostar journey.
Book your Eurostar tickets early
Cheap Eurostar tickets start from around £50 one-way or around £90 for a return ticket to Paris or Brussels.
According to the rail advice website The Man in Seat 61, the cheapest tickets can be found between midday Monday and midnight Thursday, and between midday and midnight on Saturday.
Eurostar tickets can sometimes go on sale 120 days (or even 330 days) before departure so keep this in mind when planning your trip and try to get in early.
Just be mindful that these tickets may be non-refundable, and you'll have to pay £30 (or £40 for Standard Premier tickets) plus the difference in fare if you want to change them within seven days of your departure time.
You can also try out this price prediction tool, which will let you know of any expected price rises.
Hoping to travel to Paris but prices are still too high for your liking? Eurostar recommends heading to Marne-la-Vallée, which is only a 40-minute train ride from the centre of Paris.
The best time to book a holiday: get your flights, hotels, cruises and more for the lowest price
Check return and Standard Premier tickets
Eurostar's ticket pricing is dynamic, meaning that it can vary hugely with demand, like airline tickets.
This can lead to some surprising bargains for savvy travellers.
For a start, return tickets can – anecdotally at least – end up cheaper than single tickets. A return ticket is almost always likely to be cheaper than two separately booked singles.
It might be possible to get a Standard Premier seat that’s not much more expensive than Standard class.
Premier class features bigger seats, a light meal and a round of free alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, so it could be worth the extra expense.
Use an InterRail or Eurail pass
The InterRail pass (for European passengers), MyInterrail (for UK passengers and European residents) and Eurail (for those outside the EU) can get you discounts on Eurostar bookings.
The passes can cost hundreds of pounds depending on the type you want so it's not worth getting solely for cheaper Eurostar travel, but if you were getting one anyway then you may as well save extra.
You can book through the Eurostar website.
Read more about cheap train tickets for the weekend and holidays
Join Club Eurostar
Club Eurostar replaced two old schemes, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Frequent Traveller.
It's free to join and worth doing before you book a ticket.
It works in a similar way to airline frequent flyer schemes, in that you earn points that can be spent on tickets or upgrades.
With Club Eurostar, you can earn one point per £1 spent on Eurostar travel and one point for every £2 spent on train and hotel packages.
Your Club Eurostar points can also be topped up via partners like American Express.
If you earn 2,400 points from Eurostar travel in a year or take 32 return journeys, you'll join the 'Carte Blanche' tier, entitling you to free lounge access and fast-track lanes.
Check for group and age-related savings
Children under four can travel for free on Eurostar trains, provided they don't need their own seat.
Plus, there are discounted prices for under 12s and groups.
There is also a discount for someone accompanying a wheelchair user, who is travelling in Standard Premier or Business Premier class.
Use cashback websites and credit cards
Check to see if cashback websites like Quidco or TopCashback have any offers to earn money back on your spending with Eurostar before booking your tickets online.
If these websites don't have direct Eurostar offers, they could let you earn cashback by using other train booking websites.
Even without these sites, you could effectively save 5% on your Eurostar journey by paying with the American Express Everyday or Platinum Cashback cards (within the first three months of ownership).
Check if flying or a coach or ferry is cheaper
Travelling via Eurostar has many advantages over flying.
It’s a fast way to get to the centre of a city with a generous luggage allowance at no extra cost. There are also no restrictions on liquids, you get more space in your seat and it’s better for the environment.
But it’s worth checking to see if you can get a cheaper flight to your destination if you’re on a tight budget.
Budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair have cheap flights to places like Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam throughout the year.
Read How to get a cheap flight for tips on sussing out the best deals.
If you're really short on cash, a coach is a cheap, if not particularly comfortable or rapid way to cross the English Channel.
Or, if you're going to Amsterdam, a combined train and ferry ticket on the 'Dutch Flyer' could be an option.
It's best tackled as an overnight journey, but you'll get your own en-suite cabin.
Check out cheap travel deals at lastminute.com
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